


Sunshine And Moonlight - Ferdibert Week 2019

by LilaView



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fools in Love, M/M, Slow Burn, claurenz mentioned, edelgard/byleth mentioned, edelgard/dorothea mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21628708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilaView/pseuds/LilaView
Summary: Written for Ferdibert Week 2019 to celebrate the love between Ferdinand von Aegir and Hubert von Vestra.Current chapter - High School AUFor the annual theater competition the Black Eagles have chosen to perform a classical fairy tale: Rapunzel
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 8
Kudos: 88
Collections: Ferdibert Ship Week 2019





	1. Hanahaki

**Author's Note:**

> Five years after the war had ended, Fódlan was slowly recovering. But there was another conflict looming just within the castle walls.

“Furthermore, I’d like you and prime minister von Aegir to review these documents.”, Edelgard finished their morning briefing.

They were sitting in their usual meeting room in the castle of Enbarr with Edelgard at the head of the table, and Byleth next to her. The two seats right beside her were occupied by Ferdinand, who was still taking notes, and him, Hubert. Some other less important ministers were seated along the table, but the main tasks and opinions were shared between them.

Sitting there was painfully similar to when they had been at war with the church all those years ago, with the only difference that now when they finished, Edelgard usually dropped her act to speak to them in a friendly matter for a minute or two once they had finished their meetings.

After freeing Fodlán from the clutches of the dragons, though the recovery took some years and they still hadn’t reached the future they had wanted for the continent, Edelgard has gotten a lot less tense. Seeing her living a more joyful life was everything Hubert has ever wanted.

Still, there was a new problem source among them, named Ferdinand von Aegir.

He was a genius prime minister. Making smart choices, presenting clever ideas, and always engaged to try to bring out the best in himself and everyone around him.

Seeing the war nearly break his spirit as he was forced to fight against the father he had always admired, whose assurance he needed so badly, was heartbreaking. And it took him quite some time to lose the dark shadow behind his beaming smile, but as the scars on his body were slowly healing, so were the ones on his soul.

If someone had told Hubert ten years ago that he would one day enjoy working with Ferdinand, he hadn’t believed them. Looking back, Ferdinand had always been overly excited, too competitive and loud, and most importantly way too convinced of himself.

War had changed him. It made him more modest, taught him to think before acting and that he could lose anyone around him at any moment. Though, it only made him a bit more restrained.

Nodding at Edelgard’s request, he got up to retrieve the documents from her, quickly flicking through the pages. As he was still browsing, he felt a gust of wind behind him, followed by a voice talking way too close to his ear. “Shall we leave, minister von Vestra?”

Swallowing the knot that was forming in his throat he turned around to look at Ferdinand. The way he purred his name was driving him crazy as usual. His mouth formed a smile that would probably scare anyone else, which had of course no effect on Ferdinand as usual. “Prime minister von Aegir.”, he noted, “I’d suggest moving into my office, if that suits your taste.”

Ferdinand flashed him one of his radiant smiles as he nodded and followed Hubert, who started walking towards his study in the west wing. While walking Ferdinand made small-talk with himself as he already knew that Hubert did not care for the weather, the flowers in the castle gardens, or senseless banter in general.

But hearing Ferdinand’s pleasing baritone voice send a shiver down his spine. It was maddening how he could talk about the most bizarre and meaningless topics and still make Hubert want to listen to him.

When they arrived in Hubert’s office, he sat down at the ebony desk in the middle of the room, already sorting the documents, while Ferdinand as usual went towards the windows to pull open the black velvet curtains. “Hubie, you need to let more sun into your life.”, he said, standing in the bright sunlight that was pouring in from outside for a second.

The way the sunlight was caught in his admittedly beautiful orange wavy hair, making it look like a halo, how his skin seemed to glow, how he turned his head towards Hubert to gift him one of his bright, honest smiles, and the fact that he used his pet name for him as they were alone now, caused a familiar pain in his chest.

_I don’t need the sun, I only need you, my love._

He shook his head, when he was finally able to look away. “As long as you close them again once you leave. Now, shall we review the documents?”, he answered desperately trying to not to sound hastily. The pain in his chest steadily grew and he needed Ferdinand to leave before it got out of hand.

After taking a few pages, Ferdinand sat down across Hubert’s desk crossing his legs. And while he actually read the files, Hubert could not focus on anything except how the two strands that Ferdinand had kept outside of his braid were framing his face beautifully. He knew that Ferdinand had unintentionally grown out his hair during the war as fighting had kept him busy, but he was glad that he had kept it. It really suited him.

“I believe, I found the mistake.”, he suddenly piped up and Hubert winced, quickly looking onto his document as if he wasn’t watching the man sitting in front of him. “Care to elaborate?”, Hubert asked and he nodded.

Getting up in an elegant swiftly motion he walked around the desk to lay down the papers in front of him. He bend down so that he could point at a certain number, his hair lightly brushing Hubert’s cheek. His face was too close to Huberts.

He noticed that Ferdinand had a bit of a stubble, which suggested he didn’t have time to shave this morning, probably because he had stayed up late last night, that the freckles on his nose and cheeks started to appear again like every summer, and that he smelled heavenly of citrus and rosemary.

The still present pain in his chest grew with every second. Ferdinand was too bright, too close, too much for him. Silently nodding as he went on explaining how he found the mistake, he decided it was time to make him leave.

“Would you be so kind to inform Emperor Edelgard about the issue? I have some matters to take care of.”, Hubert said in a hoarse voice, barely able to suppress a cough. Ferdinand straightened up again, collecting the papers. “Of course, Hubie. I shall take my leave.”

He excused himself and left Hubert alone.

Clutching his chest, he was struck by a coughing fit. This had been going on for longer than he could remember. Somewhere during the disorder of war, along fear and exhaustion he had fallen for Ferdinand. For his overly positive way of living, his cheerful smile, his inability to be intimidated by him.

But it was not his place to fall in love. To love anyone except Edelgard. His life was devoted to her and her goals. He could not be selfish, no matter how much his heart ached. How badly he wished to return Ferdinand’s subtle touches, how he wished to touch his silky hair, and to kiss his soft lips. He would not betray Edelgard like his father had betrayed her family.

Still coughing, he felt a familiar strange feeling in his mouth. It had started with a single yellow petal all those years ago, but by now the single petal had become a whole flower. A few drops of blood ran out of his mouth as he coughed up an entire yellow rose; the thorns ripping open the wounds of his barely healed windpipe another time.

The only cure would be to remove not only the flowers growing in his chest, but with them all feelings he had for Ferdinand and while he knew, he couldn’t never follow them, he still couldn’t live without them anymore.

Just as he could not live without him.


	2. Domestic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ferdinand comes home after a long day of work on a cold winter's day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know, if Enbarr gets cold in winter, but let's pretend it does.

Winter had arrived early in Enbarr with frosty nights and misty mornings in late November. The frost covering the streets and houses with a thin white veil was beautiful really, but it also slowed down the busy life of merchants and townspeople, which he enjoyed watching so much. As the sun set around 4 pm, it grew uncomfortably cold within minutes.

The castle had started taking in more and more refugees and homeless people as they could no longer stay outside for the night. Seeing them always reminded him how lucky he got and how grateful he was for the life he could live.

He was walking through the castle gardens, which were illuminated by a few street lamps, when a sudden gust of icy wind hit him, making him pull his coat tighter around his body. Only a few more minutes, he thought, and he would finally be home. The way from the main wing of the castle towards their house, which was still located on the castle grounds, was not that far, but long enough to nearly freeze him.

After taking turns in staying in their different rooms for about two years, they had brought the request of moving in together to Emperor Edelgard about a year ago. She had agreed on the terms that there would be a direct line to contact them in a case of emergency. Other than that she had been quite open to the idea, since Byleth had been staying with her in her room anyway.

The last few meters until he reached the front door were the worst. He could see the windows being lit up by warm orange light, suggesting there was already a fire burning in their fireplace, but he was still out there in the cold.

Finally closing the heavy wooden door behind him, he heard soft sounds from the living room. “Darling, I’m home.”, he announced as he got rid of his coat, his shoes, and everything else until he was only wearing his dark blue trousers and a white shirt.

The hallway was still a bit cold, but when he went inside the living room, the warmth surrounded him like a welcoming hug. All day he had only wished to finally come home. One of their armchairs had been moved so that it faced the fireplace with a familiar head peeking up from behind the rest.

Carefully bending down, he placed a soft kiss on top of the jet-black shock of hair. “Welcome home, my love.”, a deep voice answered. Hubert was sitting in the armchair reading a book until Ferdinand moved in front of him, making him not only look up, but also smile.

“I missed you today.” Hubert’s small declarations of love never failed to make Ferdinand blush, though his cheeks were already dusted in a rosy pink from the cold outside. Knowing that he would start demanding the attention he needed, Hubert closed his books, he was reading something about foreign poisonous plants and how to use them, Ferdinand noted, and placed it on the small table next to him.

Ferdinand sat down on his armrest, softly petting Hubert’s fringe, and sighed. “How I missed you too. There had been a fight between the two ministers because of a document that had been filled out falsely-” Words poured out of his mouth as he complained about the day and as Hubert laid his arm around his waist, he felt his heart become lighter.

When he finally ended, Hubert lifted his hand to brush over his eyebrow along his jaw to let it rest on his cheek. “It’s unfortunate you had to bother with such incompetence today. I hate seeing you upset.”, his gaze softened as he examined Ferdinand’s face, “Furthermore, the wind outside seemed to have messed up your hair, my love. Would you fetch me your brush?”

Ferdinand jumped up in surprise touching his hair. “Oh dear, I hoped it had been alright during the day.”, he mumbled as he quickly went to get the brush from his nightstand and when he was back, Hubert assured him that he was sure, he had been as beautiful as always during the day.

Handing the brush over to Hubert, he sat down on the ottoman in front of the armchair, and immediately started untying his braid carefully. While Hubert gently brushed his hair, Ferdinand closed his eyes. With Hubert taking care of him, he never had to worry about anything.

The warmth of the fire and the comforting feeling of someone brushing and braiding his hair were lulling him into a sleeplike trance, so when Hubert finished doing his hair a few minutes later, it took him more than a moment to return to the present.

Though the soft kisses Hubert placed all over his face helped a bit. Still, he couldn’t help but stretch and let out a yawn. “Thank you, darling.”, he managed to bring out while wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

As Hubert went back to his place on his armchair, Ferdinand followed him to settle down on his lap with his legs draped over the armrest. Snuggling against his chest he felt Hubert taking up his book again, but soon he was overcome by sleepiness as he listened to the crackling of the fire, the sound of pages being turned and Hubert’s steady breathing.

Home is where your heart is, is what his mother had always told him, and he knew that his home was wherever Hubert was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for reading this chapter!  
> I absolutely love Ferdinand's long hair and I'm such a sucker for Hubert gently taking care of it. It's soft hours, my guys.  
> Also, this chapter is partly inspired by my gf who always gets super tired when you do her hair; it's super adorable and definitely how Ferdinand would react.


	3. Vampire AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the one scene of Twilight: Ferdinand is summond to the woods to talk to Hubert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only wanted to rewrite the scene from Twilight, but then I kinda got posessed and this happened. It ended as a combination of college and vampire au.

Hubert von Vestra.

Tall, handsome, mysterious. With a face looking like it was carved out of the most beautiful Italian marble. Cheekbones as sharp as ice glaciers. Long bony fingers that could only make him dream about what they were able to do.

For longer than Ferdinand could remember Hubert had been the central figure of his dreams and fantasies. The nice, but also the naughty ones, though he would never admit that, not even to Dorothea, and he would trust her with his life.

He couldn’t even remember the first time he had seen him; it probably had been somewhere in the college cafeteria. But it had been attraction at first sight. And ever since he had seen these beautiful pale yellow eyes and his refined facial features, he could not get him out of his head.

Dorothea had found out who he was. As she was dating Edelgard, the seemingly best friend of Hubert, it had been quite easy for her to get her hands on information. Not that it would have been hard for her otherwise. Dorothea had that kind of face and attitude that made you want to spill your deepest, darkest secrets, which had been part of the story how they had get to know each other, but that did not matter in this exact moment.

Ferdinand had been thinking about asking Hubert out for about two months now, no he had been planning to ask Hubert out for about two months. Since they didn’t have any classes together and were enrolled in vastly different fields, it would not be easy to find an excuse to talk to him.

After many mind maps and plans made with several printed pictures and woolen strings on the wall of his room, he had come up with an idea. He would wait in the cafeteria, accidentally drop his sweater, and of course Hubert would help him and pick it and voilá. He was super convinced of his plan.

But then he had received a letter this very morning. An envelope made from handmade paper, which felt both rich and silky under his fingers, with a thick dark red wax seal to keep it close. Breaking it almost made him nervous; it was beautiful. When he opened the envelope there was a small card inside covered in a few words that were written in equally mesmerizing galant cursive handwriting.

_Ferdinand._

_Meet me at the clearing at 2pm today._

_Hubert_

His heart skipped a beat. An invitation, from Hubert no less, and he wanted to meet him. Clutching the letter and pressing his onto his breast he spun around to end up catching his reflection in a mirror, which made him stop. He was awfully underdressed, which had to change immediately.

About twenty outfit changes later, he was finally ready to go out; he had settled with a light beige pair of pants, a pastel blue polo shirt, and a cream sweater wrapped around his shoulder. His hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, which was his favourite hairstyle to wear, if he had to be honest.

Spending so much time getting changed meant that he had kind of missed his first class, but being as excited as he was, he had known that it would be pointless to go to class. He wouldn’t pay attention anyway.

At about 1:30pm he left his dorm to walk to the clearing Hubert had mentioned. It was in the forest right outside campus and fairly quick to walk to. When the field would be too hot in summer, he and his polo team usually took their horses on a ride through the forest, so knew exactly which way to take.

He arrived with a few minutes to spare, which he decided to spent walking around the clearing a bit until he stopped at one point where he heard someone clearing their throat.

Out of the shadows and into the dim light of the clearing stepped a tall figure in a cloak so long it reached to the ground. Ferdinand jumped in surprise, wondering if he had just overlooked him.

“Thank you for coming, Ferdinand.” A deep voice said and a shiver ran down his spine. His voice was even more exquisite than Ferdinand had imagined. Clutching his heart he wanted to say something, but was silenced by Hubert lifting a hand.

“I noticed you have been watching me for the last few months. I have been watching you too.” Every other person would have thought of that as creepy, but somewhere along the way the part of Ferdinand’s brain responsible for reasoning was replaced by some cheesy romance novel about two princes falling in love.

“After a long time of consideration and consulting my most confident friend, I have decided to tell you the truth about myself.” Ferdinand had tried really hard to keep quiet, but couldn’t hold it anymore when Hubert had finished his sentence.

“Oh, Hubert!”, he exclaimed folding his hands and raising them to let them rest at his cheek. “I already know what you are and let me tell you, I am not afraid!” Saying this made Hubert look at him dumbfounded, which Ferdinand generously ignored to proceed his dramatic speech.

“I’m tired of loving you from far away. I want to be with you and I’ll gladly give up anything for you. My belongings, my name, yes, even my position as the captain of the polo team.” Ferdinand had raised one hand to his forehead looking like a Victorian lady ready to faint on the next piece of furniture available.

Hubert, who had finally gathered his thoughts, cleared his throat a second time. “Ferdinand, I need you to say it. Say, what I am.” Hubert had his teeth clenched, but Ferdinand looked at him with the brightest eyes, which made him relax a bit.

“Hubert, you are”, Ferdinand paused for dramatic purposes only, “A goth.”

Hubert blinked at him. “What.” He said before he could stop himself, while Ferdinand continued to be his dramatic self: closing his eyes for emphasys.

Upon hearing his voice, he opened his eyes and looked at Hubert. It took him a second, but then he realised, it was not his time for a dramatic love confession, but for him to get rejected. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to run away.

Taking a step towards the way back home, he felt a hand catching his wrist and pulling him back. But even when he was standing in front of him again, he could not gather enough courage to meet his eyes.

“How did you come up with me being a goth?” He asked, and Ferdinand shrugged. “The clothes, I guess?” He said gesturing towards the traditional three-piece-suit with matching cloak Hubert was wearing. “If you are not goth, then what did you wanted me to say?”

Ferdinand was displaying the biggest puppy dog eyes Hubert had ever seen, so he rubbed his neck flustered. A bit of a blush on his cheeks suited him, Ferdinand thought.

He cleared his throat. “Ferdinand, I’m a vampire.” His pale yellow eyes were fixating Ferdinand’s, who started to look a bit confused, but also encouraging. After a minute of Hubert saying nothing he gestured towards him. “And? Please go on. I’d love to hear what you’re wanting to tell me.”

Now Hubert was the one to be confused. “Actually, that’s it.” Ferdinand started laughing, a light delicate sound. “Oh Hubert, that doesn’t matter at all. I myself am part vampire, about a fifth or so, on my mothers side. Wait, is that why you are dressed like this?” He came closer, carefully pushing Hubert’s fringe to the side to look at him properly. At one point a slight blush started to grow on his cheeks, which had developed into his face being completely flushed red by now.

“Uhm, actually, yes.” Suddenly the ground in front of him seemed to be extraordinary interesting and while he kept an eye on the weeds to his feet, Ferdinand curiously walked around him, carefully touching the fabric of his cloak.

“Well, the choice of fabric is excellent. You have taste, no question. But could you imagine negotiating your outfit? Maybe change it to something in, let’s say, light black and a little more up-to-date?” Hubert cleared his throat, slowly trying to collect himself. “I guess that would be possible.”

Ferdinand, now standing in front of him, winked at Hubert “Would you like to join me for a tea then?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I love when Ferdinand is unnecessarily dramatic, also Hubert seems like the person who would send a letter with a wax seal in 2019.  
> Hope to see you tomorrow!


	4. Soulmates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world is black and white until you meet your soulmate

The sun was yellow. Yellow was the colour of warmth, of happiness, and of brightness.

His hair was orange. Orange was the colour of creativity, of curiosity, and of friendship.

Forests and trees were green. Green was the colour of life, of harmony, and of growth.

The ocean was blue. Blue was the colour of freshness, of relaxation, and of clarity.

The lavender in the castle gardens were purple. Purple was the colour of melancholy, of nostalgia, and of longing.

And red. Lips were red. Roses were red. The sky was red when the sun set in the afternoon. Red was the colour of love, of passion, of courage.

That’s what his mother had always told him. The world was black and white until you met your soulmate. Hearing of colours he could not imagine was his favourite activity when he had been a child. His mother had always talked adoringly of the colours he hadn’t seen yet, describing them as if they were her dear friends.

“Mother, tell me about the first time you saw colours.”, he used to pester her on a daily basis, but whenever he asked her, she would wear a dreamy smile on her lips while looking out of the window as if she could look back in time.

“It was a beautiful summer’s day. I was wearing my favourite dress to go to the market. Grandmother asked me to get her some flowers and I gladly did so. The sun was shining down onto me while I walked around the stalls looking for the flowers I had been asked to get, but could not find them. At first I only glanced at them for a second, when I saw them move next to me.

“Still, it felt like the whole world would blow up around me. As if I had been blind my whole life, everything suddenly bloomed in the most beautiful colours. The flowers in front of me were now not only of a wonderful scent, but also of all colours of the rainbow. I looked down and saw that my favourite dress had been light blue all this time. The sun in the sky was yellow and the sky was blue like my dress, and the market seemed a lot more lively now that it was no longer black and white.

“And when I looked at their face I noticed in their enchanting smile that we were both experiencing these feelings together.” Whenever she would finish, he would look at her giggly. “What is your favourite colour, mother?”, he would ask and she would place a kiss on his forehead while petting his head. “Orange, because your hair is orange and I love you very much.”

He would giggle and hug her. “I hope I find my soulmate one day and marry them like you did.”

Not until later in his life he would notice the sadness in his mother’s smile at the mention of marriage. “I pray every night that you do, Ferdinand.”

Having spent his life at many royal parties, he had thought of seeing a girl one day, who would make his world colourful. The daughter of a count or a duke perhaps. But no matter how many new people he got acquaintance with, he never met the one.

Still, he never lost his spirit. Even when his mother fell ill, when she died, when his father sent him away to study at a school as if he couldn’t learn everything he needed to know at home. When he was sitting in his room alone tears streaming down his face in an unending waterfall of sadness because he was alone at the school. When no one wanted to be his friend.

Somehow, the students in his house started accepting him after some time, but it took weeks of trying and sitting alone during lunch. At home, everyone wanted to be his friend, but at school no one cared for him in particular. 

He had always missed his mother dearly, but when war started while he was still in school, he had been in desperate need of advice and encouragement. Suddenly he had to decide between the friends he had made and the family he used to have, though his cruel father never had been much of a family to him.

This whole time until the war was won nearly six years later, he didn’t really have time to worry about his world staying black and white; he just accepted that it was. He was used to it anyways.

Being declared the new prime minister of the Empire did come as a bit more of a surprise than he would have imagined a few years ago. Of course, the von Aegir’s had been the prime ministers of the Empire for centuries, but as Emperor Edelgard created a world where birth status didn’t matter, but hard work and knowledge, he was happy about her appreciation of his talents.

It was one of their every day’s when it happened. He had been tasked with having a look at the horses in the imperial stables, when Hubert walked in holding a basket with a few apples in them. Over the years he had formed a friendship with the so very different minister of the Imperial household, and somehow even grow fond of him.

“Hubert, good to see you.”, he said while his opponent just nodded. Still, he picked up the tiny switch of his lips, when their eyes met, suggesting that he was also glad to see him. Hubert had always been more of a nonverbal person.

“Emperor Edelgard asked me to deliver these to you.” Hubert explained wanting to hand Ferdinand the basket, when the horse he had been petting until now suddenly nudged Hubert making him drop the basket and sending the apples flying.

“Rosemary! I told you to stop being rude.”, Ferdinand scolded the horse, then turned to Hubert, “Let me help you really quick.” They crouched down to collect the apples and put them back into the basket until there was only one left, which both tried to grab at the same time.

Their hands only met for a split second, but it felt as if electricity flickered through his body. Looking up, their eyes met and just like his mother had described once, the world around him exploded.

Hubert’s eyes were of a pale yellow. The apples they had been collecting were bright green. Rosemary was a lovely light brown horse. His clothes were blue and red and gold. His hair was orange.

When he looked back at Hubert he could see that they were experiencing the same moment, the same feelings together. And when their lips found one another he could taste the courage, the passion, the love of the colour red.

They had been wrong all along. The world was not black and white until you met your soulmate.

The world was black and white until you fell for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading this chapter!  
> Soulmates is still one of my favourite tropes. Sorry that it was a bit sad, though.  
> I imagine Ferdinand to have been an adorably sweet child and I'm actually craving content of his childhood, though I guess anything canon would just make me sad.  
> Still, thank your for reading and I hope to see you tomorrow! :D


	5. Courting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hubert tries to court Ferdinand in the most romantic way possible: by writing a poem. He just needs a little help with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post timeskip; let's just pretend they all fought twsd and not each other

Lorenz barely managed to put down his tea cup before starting to cough as he had just choked on his drink.

He had been sceptical after receiving an invitation for tea by no one less than the closest adviser of the head of the Black Eagles, Hubert von Vestra. Expecting him to interrogate him and ask about their secrets or whatever, he had asked to Claude about what he should, who had told him to accept.

And whatever Claude wanted was going to happen anyway, so he had resigned to his fate. It wasn’t like he could actually resist his charming smile.

Arriving at the designated time and place he found Hubert had prepared quite the lovely table with a few sweet treats as well as a cup of Lorenz’ favourite tea. He didn’t question how he knew that. Still, he had never thought of the actual reason Hubert had send him an invitation.

“I’m terribly sorry, could you please repeat what you have just said?”, Lorenz managed to say after his coughing died down. Hubert in front of him frowned as if he would rather chop off his own hands and eat them than repeating his request.

“I was asking for your help for writing a poem.”, he hissed with his teeth clenched tight, already looking regretful for talking to Lorenz in the first place.

Of course, Lorenz was always glad to help someone discover the fine art of poetry and it was true that everyone except dear Marianne in his house made fun of him for writing poetry, but for Hubert to ask him for help? It was highly suspicious.

Though he did not come up with an idea how he could use poetry for his evil deeds, he was sure that if there was a way, Hubert had found it and if he helped him, he too would be responsible for whatever was going to happen. Better be safe than sorry in this case.

“Not to offend you, but I never thought of you being interested in poetry, so what exactly peaked your interested to start now?” Lorenz tried busying himself with the pattern of his tea cup, hoping that the sway in his voice would go by unnoticed. The china Hubert had chosen what actually of very good quality, he would need to ask Ferdinand, if he knew how Hubert had acquired it.

“Ferdinand.” The mention of his best friend made Lorenz wince in surprise. Hastily brushing his hair back behind his ear while laughing, which sounded nervous even to him, he tried to find a logical connection of Hubert, Ferdinand, and poetry without coming up with anything.

“Again my deepest apology, but what does dear Ferdinand have to with this?” Lorenz looked up and noticed Hubert’s gaze wandering the gardens restlessly while he used one of his gloved hands to cover up his mouth. As if he could hide what was going on on his face.

Hubert von Vestra, master of poison and right-hand man of Emperor Edelgard, the man who had sent his own father to the death row, was sitting in front of him desperately trying to hide a blush on his cheeks.

“I happened to hear that poetry was considered part of the tradition of courting.” Hubert’s voice sounded more than strained and Lorenz’ entire face froze as he realised what Hubert was trying to tell him.

He wanted to court Ferdinand. Ferdinand. His best friend. The ever happy ray of sunshine. Of course, he appreciated him taking interest in Ferdinand, but he was fearing for dear Ferdinand’s life. What would happen when he turned him down?

Lost in thoughts he didn’t notice Hubert frowning until he cleared his throat. The next words that escaped his mouth almost sounded more than pleading and uncanny for someone like him. “Please don’t make me ask Sylvain.”

After finishing their tea set, they agreed to move to the greenhouse to write the poem. Hubert insisted of locking the door so that no one would interrupt them, which partly made Lorenz nervous as he still suspected Hubert of getting rid of him the second he disagreed with him, but he also felt a tiny bit of relief since he did have a reputation to lose.

There were some flowers with orange blossom blooming, so Lorenz chose the bench in front of them to use them as an inspiration. Settling down with some parchment and a quill, Lorenz tried to think of pieces of advice he had to offer.

“If you want to write a poem, I suggest you think of whatever you want to write about.” He had to swallow the lump forming in his throat. It was weird to say out loud. “So Ferdinand, in your case.”

“Maybe start with what you like most about him. His best qualities.” Lorenz continued to elaborate while Hubert’s expression proceeded to be unreadable. He didn’t really know what he did as writing poetry came to him naturally, but he just hoped that Hubert would be satisfied.

“His devotion.” Hubert suddenly said and Lorenz winced. “His kindness. Also, the passion he holds in his heart.” While Hubert looked both sincere and utterly embarrassed saying these words, Lorenz just felt awkward.

“I’m perfectly fine with you keeping your secrets as long as they are in your heart and your head.”, he quickly said and Hubert looked even more uncomfortable now. Before he could say anything, Lorenz decided to continue.

“Next you should think about what his best qualities remind you of. As an example, an acceptable comparison of his hair would be one of these lovely flowers.” Gesturing towards the blossoms in front of him, he noticed Hubert’s face soften a bit. “Lastly, the most important part of a poem is letting the stances be influenced by how you feel.”

Did Hubert feel anything? Lorenz couldn’t imagine him having any emotions besides disdain, rage, and wickedness. Just thinking about that possibility gave him a headache.

_Talk your way through this_ , he reminded himself, _only a few more sentences and you can get out of here._

“The poem only feels naturally if you are writing about your honest.” Saying it out loud was even more surreal than thinking about it. “Feelings.”

Looking to the man beside him, Lorenz was surprised to find Hubert actually seeming to take his advice to heart. Or to the gaping black hole swallowing all light and happiness, which he probably had instead of a heart.

“If you are comfortable, I would let you to let your creativity flow and I would like to excuse myself to retire to my quarters.” Lorenz got up as Hubert nodded. “Thank you for your help, Lorenz. I appreciate it.”

Hearing him say the words thank, you, and his name in the same sentence caught him off guard. He had never heard him thank anyone ever. Another nervous laughter left his throat.

“I am of course always glad to help.” The hand already on the doorknob, he turned around to look at Hubert again. “I suggest you ask him somewhere near the stables. You will probably find him there anyways.”

And he will have plenty of room to escape you, he added in his mind as he left the other man alone.

“So, you’re telling me that you fed Hubert information that he would have to write a poem in order to ask Ferdie out?”, Sylvain stated. They were sitting in a bush not far from where Hubert would recite his poem. Bernadetta next to him nodded strongly, while still observing the scene using binoculars. “Now, take notes. Hubert gets down on one knee. He’s holding a red flower of unknown kind. Maybe a rose? Circle that.” Bernadetta kept whispering and Sylvain, being the well-behaved assistant he was, wrote down everything exactly the way she said it. 

“Hubert is reciting the poem. Ferdinand covers his mouth. I think, he’s crying. He’s pulling Hubert onto his feet. They’re hugging. Ferdinand kind of buries his head in Hubert’s neck. Underline that.” Bernadetta waved his hand at him and Sylvain did as he was told. “I think, Ferdinand just asked if they could hold hands. Hubert nodds. They’re both blushing hard. Now, they’re going back towards the stables.”

Bernadetta lowered her binoculars and looked to Sylvain. “You got everything?”, she asked and smiled satisfied when Sylvain nodded.

“Thank you, I really needed that reference for my next chapter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading!  
> This is actually my favourite piece of writing I did for this week. At first I didn't have much of an idea, but in the end it turned out to be so much fun to write. I just love Lorenz and I love him being Ferdinand's over-protective best friend.  
> I hope to see you all for tomorrow's chapter!


	6. Arranged Marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ferdinand asks Edelgard to find him a fitting person for marriage.

_Ferdinand,  
After considering the options available I have found a suitable partner for you in marriage.  
Please attend a meeting on Wednesday at 2pm._

_Regards,  
Edelgard_

A servant had delivered a letter from the Emperor the day before yesterday and since then he had not managed to rest well. It has been over half a year since he had asked Emperor Edelgard for choosing an appropriate partner for him. Knowing that he had way too much on his plate to keep his eyes open for someone to marry, he had decided that Edelgard knew what would be best for both him and the Empire.

Of course there had been someone who he had his eyes on, but he knew that his crush was nothing he would be able to pursuit and he should marry while he was still fairly young before he ended up as a middle-aged bachelor.

Still, he was excited to meet whoever Edelgard had chosen. It took him days to decide on an attire to wear; you only had one chance to make a first impression. Finally, he settled with a pair of dark blue pants, a white shirt, and a red waistcoat covered in delicate golden embroidery.

The morning of the meeting felt a longer than it actually was. He had a few tasks to do and some errands to run, but somehow time wouldn’t pass and he would look back at the clock in his study every few minutes.

Leaving early as he could not manage to occupy himself any longer he took a stroll through the castle gardens and still managed to arrive at the designated room with time to spare. He had a look at the paintings hanging in the hallway, but even though he appreciated the passion and love every artist had poured into their pictures, he only managed to distract himself for another few minutes until he couldn’t stand to wait anymore.

Softly knocking at the door, he stepped inside to carefully close the door behind him. Edelgard was already sitting at the head of the table with Hubert next to her, which was a bit unusual since Ferdinand had not expected him to join them, but it wasn’t too odd since Hubert had remained to be Edelgard’s most trusted confidant.

Bowing to Edelgard and nodding to Hubert he took his seat, excited about who would walk through the door. They waited together for a few minutes in silence. When Ferdinand already started to be outraged about his future wife being too late, Edelgard cleared her throat.

“I’m not going to wait any longer.” She started and a numbing feeling of disappointment spread in his stomach. The one Edelgard had chosen must have changed her mind and decided to stood them up.

“I called you both in here today, because each of you asked me to find you a suitable partner for marriage.” His eyes darted to Hubert, who also looked at him very much surprised. He would have never guessed Hubert to be interested in marriage at all. If only he had known earlier.

“It took me quite some time to figure out who would fit your personalities, but I have finally made my decision.” Speaking slowly, Ferdinand grew more nervous with every sentence she said. Could it be possible that Edelgard had purposely invited their future spouses for a later time?

“Ferdinand, meet your designated suitor Hubert. Hubert, meet your designated suitor Ferdinand.” Edelgard kept her voice neutral, but as soon as she said the words, his face froze. She asked him to marry Hubert? Was that some kind of joke for her?

“I’m terribly sorry, your Majesty, but you don’t happen to be making fun of us, do you?” Hubert managed to bring out, trying to look somewhat angered, but Ferdinand did not fail to notice the blush that dusted his cheeks.

Edelgard frowned at them. “I am not. This is my final word. You are both married to your work anyway and you seem to get along well, so it was the most logical decision.” She got up and walked towards the door. “Maybe you should try going out instead of doubting my choices. I shall take my leave now.” And with that she closed the door behind her, leaving them alone.

Going out? She couldn’t have found out about his crush, could she? He only ever told Dorothea and she swore to keep his secret safe.

With the back of his hand covering his mouth he felt his cheeks growing hot, while Hubert in front of him cleared his throat. “I guess we should accept the Emperor’s propose and go out sometime.”

“Are you sure they’re going to be alright?” Edelgard had already changed into her nightgown and was sitting on the edge of her bed while Dorothea sat behind her, carefully brushing her hair. “They’re going to be fine. They’ve been in love with each other forever and I could not stand to watch them yearn any longer.” She braided Edelgard’s hair. “Trust me, Edie, I’m an amazing matchmaker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter!  
> This idea is in courtesy of Tai, who helped when I had no idea what to write. You're the real mvp.  
> I hope to see you all tomorrow!


	7. Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hubert hated Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a modern au yet again, but I cannot control myself.

After closing and locking the office door behind him, Hubert pressed the button of the elevator hoping it would soon arrive and take him to the car park so he could leave as quickly as possible.

It was already dark outside and the chilly air made him pull his coat a bit tighter around his body. Not unusual for early December. Walking up to his car, he feared for a second that the windshield of his car had frozen, but it turned out to just be a bit of rainwater. Giving the office building another look, the windows were dark except for some occasional fairy lights and Christmas decoration he had to promise to keep them lit up over night, he got inside his car.

The motor came to live with a low growling and after a few minutes of driving he hit the motorway. The entire city seemed to be covered in absurd amounts of lights, garlands, and other atrocities, one worse than the other. If he had to be honest, he would say that he despised Christmas.

Partly, because growing up in a heartless family, he associated Christmas with long visits at relatives’ houses, who asked invasive questions and at the same time did not care for the answer at all, with bad tasting Christmas dinners, and this overwhelming freezing cold feeling inside his soul.

But also, because working in printing house meant working a lot of overtime since everyone spontaneously decided that calenders, photo albums, and personalised postcards where the best gift for their nasty family members.

He didn’t fancy staying in late for work, but adminastory work was piling up on his desk, and he knew that Christmas was the most lucrative time of the year, so he couldn’t afford to let it overwhelm him. His co-workers were really trying to do his best and he couldn’t bother the CEO with his trivial problems and issues, could he?

His drive home from work was about twenty minutes, but since he got into rush hour, which meant being stuck in traffic jam for some time, it took him nearly fourty minutes. Near the city motorway there were streets full of decorated store windows and people carrying huge piles of presents from one store to another.

Many of them were most likely thoughtless gifts. Either to intimidate their relatives or to just give them anything. It made him sick.

As he pulled up to the driveway of his home he spend a last thought on how much he disliked Christmas before he went towards the entrance door.

Opening the door he was hit by both nicely warm air and the smell of vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Peeling out of his coat he hung it up in the hallway, got rid of his shoes and sat down his briefcase. The hallway was still looking quite normal, but when he stepped into the living room, he was greeted by a very different scenery.

A fire was crackling in their fireplace, heating up the whole room, and he didn’t know how else to describe the room except it looked like Christmas had exploded in their living room.

The windows were decorated with cream garlands and fairy lights, their Christmas tree was already set up and embellished with white and silver baubles, with glittery snowflakes made of glass, and thousands of tiny lights, and there were even more paper chains and star-shaped lights spread across the room.

As he was still trying to take everything in, a humming voice came from inside the kitchen, informing him of the whereabouts of his husband. When he pushed the door open, Ferdinand was taking out a freshly baked batch of Christmas cookies from inside the oven, which smelled heavenly, and placed them on the counter.

Hearing the door open, he turned around and his face lit up like the Christmas tree the second he saw Hubert. “Welcome home, darling.” He said basically flinching himself at Hubert, who just barely caught him. “I missed you so much.” Ferdinand managed to say until he bursted out in giggling as Hubert placed lots of soft kisses on his face.

“I noticed, you are already feeling festive, don’t you?” Hubert noticed and Ferdinand stepped away from him to show off his outfit. After years of dating and being married he had gotten used to Ferdinand’s peculiar choice in attire.

Right now he was wearing a dark green knitted Christmas sweater with Santa in the front holding a phone, which read ‘You used to call me on my elf phone’, further he was wearing red booty shorts with a bit of white fur at the seams and some slippers with a beige pattern of moose and snowflakes on them.

“I hope, you’re not mad that I started decorating the house without you.” Ferdinand said trying to look as bashful as possible. “It’s just, you know how much I love Christmas.” Hubert smiled at him. “You’ve done a marvelous job at decorating, my love.”

“I’m glad to hear! And when you get home tomorrow, you can still help me with the decorations in the garden, and with the eggnog. I hope you don’t mind that I invited Dorothea and Bernadetta to come over this weekend.”

Hubert just shook his head. He was perfectly fine having people around who were pleasant and actually cared about them.

It was true that he still disliked Christmas to this day. But he loved Ferdinand dearly and bigger than his hate towards this holiday was his desire to see Ferdinand happy.

Because when Ferdinand smiled, he felt the scars in his heart mend, and he started to understand what Christmas really was about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I'm sorry for the delay, but I still hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Also, I'm sorry for giving Ferdie such an awful outfit, but I can totally see him wearing stuff like that. :D


	8. High School AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the annual theater competition the Black Eagles have chosen to perform a classical fairy tale: Rapunzel

“Miss Manuela is going on a date today, so I am in charge.” Edelgard was standing in front of them at the stage of the auditorium with a clipboard wearing some glasses that were most likely fake, but made her look like she knew what she was doing.

“Isn’t Byleth the one who’s supposed to be in charge?”, Caspar piped up, but Edelgard waved her hand to play his complaint down. “Yes, but Byleth said I could be in charge. Thanks again, babe.” Edelgard winked at her and Byleth gave her thumbs up in return.

“I’ll announce the roles and then we’ll have our first reading and costume rehearsal at the same time, because we are way behind schedule and we can’t afford to lose to Dimitri or worse, Claude.” Edelgard flipped a page on her clipboard and looked at them over the frames of her glasses. “Any questions?”

Caspar raised his hand and started waving, but Edelgard ignored him generously. “Great.”, she said, “Now for the roles. I’ll announce them in order of their appearance. Petra, you’re going to be Rapunzel’s mom. And Leonie, you’ll play Rapunzel’s other mom. Again, thank you for helping out. We’re glad to have you here.”

Leonie gave her thumbs up and mumbled something that playing Rapunzel’s lesbian mom would be less time consuming than the rap battle version of Hamlet Claude was pulling up for the contest. And as everyone knew the most important part of Leonie’s life was training, which she would not miss for this kind of nonsense.

Caspar quietly asked Linhardt how Rapunzel could have two moms and that he couldn’t understand how that worked. And Linhardt, who was very invested in preparing for his afternoon nap, just answered him that he should ask Ashe. He had many siblings and should know this kind of stuff.

“Going on, Dorothea is playing the witch.” You could her a quiet ‘yes’ coming from Dorothea. “Since he had pestered me forever and announced that he would quit, if he didn’t get the role: Ferdinand will be Rapunzel.” A murmur sounded through the auditorium, sounding surprisingly friendly. Ferdinand was the one with the longest hair of all of them, also if they mentioned two lesbian moms, Rapunzel could also very much be male.

“Lastly, Hubert is going to be the prince, and Linhardt and Caspar are playing the horse.” Edelgard flipped the pages back close and waved at them. “Go get changed now, you’ll find your scripts on top of your costumes. You have ten minutes. Chop chop!”

Exactly ten minutes later they were waiting behind the curtain for their respective cues. Edelgard was sitting at her table in the audience, Byleth next to her, who was still as silent as always. “Scene 1 from the top. Action!”

Petra and Leonie entered the stage. Petra’s hair had been put up in a braided bun while Leonie’s hair was curled with a flowery hair band to keep it from falling into her face. Bernadetta had sewn two beautiful white dresses for them, that were both similar enough to make them look like a couple, but different to underline their personalities.

They talked about how hungry they were, how much they wanted salad, and started picking salad that was growing near a tower. Suddenly, a poof sounded through the auditorium and out of a cloud of smoke Dorothea appeared. She was wearing a beautiful dark red gown, with a scandalously deep back neckline and tons of unnecessary feathers. They knew she had bribed Bernadetta into changing the design, but she looked wicked, so no one complained.

Dorothea held the most dramatic speech about the townspeople robbing her of her salad and that she would curse the two women unless they gifted her their firstborn. While talking she walked around them, spun around a couple of times, and managed to look both terrifying and hot.

“Thank you!” Edelgard spoke into the mic. “Good job everyone. Especially Dorothea, you look smoking.” Dorothea gave Edelgard her biggest satisfied smile and they all left the stage. “We’ll be moving to Scene 2.”

Scene 2 included Ferdinand and Dorothea talking in Rapunzel’s room. Bernadetta had sewn him a lovely well-fitted tailcoat in a vibrant red with matching white trousers and tails in a dark blue with a gold pattern on it. A jabot of white satin fabric completed his outfit. She had really outdone herself, meeting his taste to the point.

Ferdinand was sitting on a chair at the center of the stage while Dorothea behind him carefully brushed his hair and braided it. In a heartbreaking monologue, Ferdinand explained that he had dreamed of going outside and begged Dorothea to let him go see the world. But Dorothea in her honey-sweet voice told him that the outside world was cruel and mean and that he would only be safe in his tower.

“Thank you! Next scene is the prince noticing the tower.”

Hubert appeared on the stage in a gorgeous three-piece suit with matching cape leading his horse, which had a very excited, energetic front part and a kind of lazy, slumpy back part. He talked about riding through the forest and never coming across this curious clearing, which sounded a bit creepy given his natural aura, but Edelgard decided that he would do. That was when Ferdinand started singing from backstage, which sounded beautiful, honestly. Edelgard was content with him playing Rapunzel. Wondering about this beautiful voice Hubert left the stage to look for the one singing.

They moved to scene 4 which was the shortest one in the play. It contained Rapunzel singing at his window ledge and the prince finally climbing up the tower. Bernadetta had suggested making a braid that looked a lot like Ferdinand’s so Hubert could climb up, but in the end they decided to only show Hubert starting to climb and then move to the scene of him getting inside the tower, which was a lot less risky.

Starting with scene 5, Edelgard announced that it was the next-to-last one and that they needed to hurry a bit since they only had half an hour left. Everyone nodded and took their places.

Ferdinand was positioned near the left end of the stage, facing the wall of his room, while Hubert climbed in from the outside through the window. Hubert started his line of how he was surprised to hear a voice as lovely as his’ in a forest so bleak, which went fine until Ferdinand turned around dramatically and they both saw each other in their costumes for the first time.

“Oh Hubie! What a handsome prince you make!”, cried Ferdinand and quickly walked towards Hubert. “Ferdinand, that’s not your line.” Edelgard told him, but went ignored. When they met, Hubert brushed a strand of Ferdinand’s hair from his face while admiring him. “And you are the most enchanting Rapunzel this world has ever seen, my love.” He carefully caressed Ferdinand’s braid, lifting it to his lips to place a delicate kiss onto his soft orange hair.

Ferdinand giggled, while Edelgard’s voice sounded through the auditorium yet another time. “Could we go back to the scene again?” Which Ferdinand and Hubert also ignored as they took each other’s hands and started slowly dancing to a melody Ferdinand was humming.

Edelgard scoffed, turning to Byleth. “That song is from Sleeping Beauty. I can’t with them, but their energy is so good and I don’t want Dimitri to win.” Byleth just placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her reassuring. “You’re right.” Edelgard said while moving back to the mic. “Let’s continue tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work today.”

Everyone went back backstage to get changed, while Ferdinand and Hubert remained dancing in such an intimate way that it looked almost indecent. They were accompanied by the sound of Caspar crashing into something, because he couldn’t see anything and Dorothea giving tips to Leonie and Petra how they could improve.

They ended up getting ready before Ferdinand and Hubert finished dancing and finally left them in the auditorium behind. Edelgard had tried to call them another time, but they were spellbound looking deep into each other’s eyes while rocking in a tight embrace.

Edelgard sighed. Still, these two clowns were a lot better than whatever nonsense Claude would come up with and Dimitri having to deal with Felix and Sylvain, who were not only in love, but even more pesky than Ferdinand and Hubert.

And if she had to be honest, seeing them having so hopelessly fallen for one another actually made Edelgard smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading the last chapter!  
> I actually had a lot of fun preparing and writing pieces for Ferdibert Week. I hope you had a good time reading my fics and I see you around sometime.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading the first chapter!  
> I had quite the great time preparing Ferdibert Week and I hope you're going to stay with me for the next few days. The next chapters will be a lot happier, I swear!


End file.
